What Are The Best Windows Web Hosts?
Posted by Mary
Q: I am on GoDaddy now for my garden club site and it's more costly than I like and I don't like that I can't use folders to separate the different items (photos from docs from newsletters). I use Microsoft Sharepoint Designer to create my pages and want to keep using that. I tried to rank different hosting services using your info here but don't know enough to make a good choice. Can you advise me? I am an experienced beginner or a green intermediate level user.
A: It sounds like you have a couple of factors going on here, so I'll try to narrow your choices down accordingly. The most restrictive thing you've listed here is actually the last: because Microsoft Sharepoint Designer uses ASP.net , it is only compatible with Windows hosting.
Many hosts only offer Linux-based hosting, which generally isn't a problem, but programs using ASP.net are one of the few exceptions to that rule. Since you want to stick with Microsoft Sharepoint Designer, you'll be restricted to services that offer both Windows and Linux servers and you'll need to be sure you choose a Windows server option when you're signing up. I would recommend that you contact customer service at whichever company you choose to explain to them that you use Microsoft Sharepoint Designer and will need a host to work with the program. A representative can help you choose the right plan.
Of the companies we review, only Lunarpages, Network Solutions, 1&1, and GoDaddy offer the option to use Windows servers for shared hosting (which is what you'll want for a small hobby or personal site like a garden club website). We don't generally recommend Go Daddy (and you've already said you're unhappy with them), but the other three companies on the list have earned four or five star ratings in our tests.
All of these hosts should allow you to create as many folders as you want in your server space. Here are a few factors that might make you pick one of the three remaining options over the others:
Cost: If price is your most important consideration, Network Solutions is the cheapest option at $2.99/mo with our discounts. The other two come not far behind, with Lunarpages at $4.95/mo and 1&1 at $3.49/mo for the first 12 months, then $6.99/mo.
Domain Registration: If you move your domain over to the hosting company, you may want to note that 1&1 is the only option of these three that includes free domain registration (for one domain) for life. Network Solutions offers free registration for 10 years, while Lunarpages offers 1 year of free domain registration and charges $19.95/yr after that.
Support: Of these three options, Lunarpages is the only one without 24 hour support.
Given these considerations, I'd say your choice is really between Network Solutions and 1&1. The extra annual charge for domain registration with Lunarpages, coupled with the limited service hours, make it somewhat less attractive. Take a look at our comparison chart, the web host report card, and the individual reviews to make your final choice. Remember you can also contact the support departments of these companies to ask specific questions about your site and your service if you have them. Good luck!
How to Choose a Web Host and Domain Name
Posted by Mary
Source: ivanpw on Flickr
There are two primary elements necessary to build a new website: a domain name and web hosting space. Many people use the same company for both services, and many of the web hosting companies we review offer one free domain name registration along with web hosting service. (Click here to see the web hosting comparison chart, including information about free domain registration. You can also check out information about host reliability and performance on the web hosting report card.)
A domain name is the address of your site. In our case, our domain name is NextAdvisor.com. You can also have a "parked" domain name, which means that you own the rights to the name, but have not built a site to correspond to it yet.
To put content on your site, you need some kind of web hosting space for your domain name to point to. Some blog services will allow you to use your own custom domain name with their hosting, but for most websites, if you want to use your own domain name , you will need to pay for your own hosting space. When you have a web host, your site is stored on a powerful computer known as a server, which is connected to the internet. When people go to your website, the server sends them the pages they request. There are a few categories of hosting service in use today. In order from least to most expensive:
- Free Hosting: Some web hosting companies claim to offer free hosting. Often, these services require that you use a subdomain on their site (like http://you.geocities.com) or place ads on your site. Generally, free hosting is somewhat unreliable and limits you to quite a small site. These restrictions makes free hosting unsuitable for polished, professional sites and can be irritating even for casual personal projects.
- Shared Hosting: Shared hosting is quite inexpensive and will be the right choice for most personal and small business websites. Our web hosting reviews cover shared hosting, though many of the services we've tried also offer VPS and dedicated hosting. These services essentially rent you space on the web host's servers, where you will share a server with a number of other sites. This is very cost-effective for smaller sites, particularly when you don't need complete control over the server in order to employ more complex programming strategies.
- VPS Hosting: VPS stands for Virtual Private Server, and refers to hosting where you share a server with other sites, but your site exists in its own private partition. This offers some of the features of having your own server along with the cost savings of using less space. Users who have VPS hosting can have high-level control over their hosting space, since they cannot interfere with other users on the server from within their partition.
- Dedicated Hosting: Dedicated hosting is primarily for very large sites. Sites with dedicated hosting have rented entire servers and do not share space.
- Co-Located Hosting: Sites using co-located hosting own and maintain their own servers. This option is less common than the others and should only be chosen by people who need a lot of space and control, are confident they can maintain a server without technical assistance, and are comfortable with the significant up-front investment of purchasing one or more servers.
You can either register your domain name and get hosting at the same time or register a domain name separately from your web hosting and point your new domain name to separate hosting space or transfer the name over later. If you do not yet have web hosting space, we recommend registering your domain name and purchasing hosting space from the same company, as it will save you money, time, and hassle.
For more information or help figuring out which hosting company is best for you and your site, check out our detailed reviews, the comparison chart, the web hosting report card, and the FAQ. You can also read previous blog posts or leave us a comment below.
What Do You Think About Weebly with BlueHost and Hostmonster?
Posted by Mary
Q: Have you tried the Weebly website builder through BlueHost? Is it better than Concrete5 or SohoLaunch? Does Hostmonster also offer Weebly?
A: An easy drag-and-drop sitebuilder, Weebly is a recent addition for both BlueHost and Hostmonster. We first tried Weebly with iPage and FatCow, and found it fun and intuitive. Weebly uses blocks of content called elements, which can include videos, text, blog pages and images. Users pull elements from a bar at the top of the page onto the site, where they can be edited with just a few clicks. The software is an easier, smoother option than Concrete5 or SohoLaunch, though the free version does have a few limitations. Users have to upgrade to the Pro version to create more than 6 pages or use features like a site favicon, audio player or custom themes. If you want to add eCommerce features, you must also use the eCommerce add-on for $2.95/month.
Weebly can be a great sitebuilder for beginners who only need to create a small site without eCommerce features, but be sure to calculate the extra cost to upgrade to Pro if you'll be building a larger site or one with higher tier features. Since both BlueHost and Hostmonster have Weebly, it shouldn't affect your decision if you're choosing between these two hosts.
Got more questions about web hosting? Check out our detailed reviews, the FAQ page, the report card, or previous blog posts. You can also leave us a comment below.
How Can I Add a Calendar to My Website?
Posted by Mary
Q: Do you know of any website builder where you can add a calendar, click on a date and be transferred to another page with a lot of detailed information that you can add that will pertain to that date?
A: While it's hard to be sure without a more detailed description of the site you plan to build and the functionality you'll need, I'd recommend WordPress, a common piece of software that is very easy to install through almost all of the web hosts we review. Though it is designed for blogs, WordPress can build more static sites as well. The software works with a wide range of easy calendar plugins that should be able to handle almost any kind of information you need to display.
Using one of our test accounts (in this case, one hosted with HostMonster) I installed WordPress and the popular "All-in-One Event Calendar" plugin from The Seed Studio. This process was very intuitive and involved only a few clicks and probably less than five minutes to set up. WordPress allows a lot of customization, either done by hand or with one of the many available templates, so your site could look almost any way you want it. Here's a screenshot of the calendar plugin with one sample event added:
Calendar Plugin - Click to Enlarge
In addition to this monthly view, you can look at the calendar by the week or as a list of events with agenda mode. Through WordPress, you can add as many events to the calendar as you'd like. Events can contain lots of information, including dates, times, maps, music, video and text. You can see more information about each event by rolling the cursor over the event or by clicking on it. You could also just add one, all-day event for each day, which would create one clickable information page for each date, if that's what you need.
Adding an Event - Click to Enlarge
If you don't like the look of the plugin we tried, there are dozens of other options, all very simple to install. Most of our favorite hosts make installing WordPress very easy. For beginners, we particularly recommend Yahoo! Small Business, though we also really like HostMonster, HostGator, FatCow, and Lunarpages. Take a look at our detailed reviews, the comparison chart, or the web hosting report card for more information on great hosts to try this out with.
How Do I Transfer My Domain Name to a New Web Host?
Posted by Mary
Q: I purchased a domain name from GoDaddy. I'm interested in developing a website with HostGator. What do I have to do to get my domain names transferred to HostGator?
Source: Widjaya Ivan via flickr
A: In this situation, you have two options. You can host your website with HostGator and keep your domain name registered with GoDaddy, simply adjusting your DNS server settings to point to your HostGator site, or you can transfer the registration to HostGator. We would recommend that you transfer the domain name so you only have to deal with one company when you need support or to renew your domain.
You cannot transfer a domain name until you have owned it for at least 60 days, so if your domain is brand new, you may have to wait a little before you can move it over to HostGator. Likewise, if your domain is within a week of expiring, you will not be able to transfer it over. In the meantime, HostGator should be able to assist you in pointing your domain name to their servers without transferring it over.
If your domain name is at least 60 days old, you can transfer it to HostGator for free when you sign up for hosting. For their help page on transferring a domain for free when you sign up, click here. If you are transferring an additional domain or moving one over after you have already established a HostGator account, the service charges $15 to transfer most domains, which includes a free year's worth of renewal. The transfer process should be simple. For most domain name extensions (the extension is the end of the URL, like .com, .net, or .co.uk), you can just fill out a short online form with HostGator to begin the transfer. Be sure that your registration information on the domain is up to date, and that you have access to the email address associated with the domain. You may also need to make a few small adjustments to your HostGator settings. We've had great luck with HostGator's support representatives, so don't hesitate to get in touch with them by phone, email or live web chat if you have any trouble or just need more help.
If you have more questions about web hosting, leave us a comment, check out our web hosting FAQ, take a look at the host report card, or read some previous blog posts on web hosting.
Can My Web Host Influence My Search Engine Ranking?
Posted by Mary
Q: Does Yahoo! Small Business Web Hosting have a program that lists my website first on search engines?
Source: Danard Vincente via flickr
A: The short answer to this question is no. No web host has a program that will automatically list your website first in search engine rankings. However, one important web host feature can positively or negatively influence how search engines rank you.
First, a little background. Each search engine determines its ranking independently, using a complex algorithm. Web programs called "crawlers" visit billions of pages each day, gathering information to determine rankings. A number of factors can influence site ranking, including how often a site updates, the keywords that indicate what content is on the site, how many links it makes to other pages and how many other pages link to it. Search engines guard their algorithms carefully so that web masters cannot "game the system" too much by specifically designing their sites to do well in the rankings. In this way, the search engines work to make their results as useful as possible to their users by making the rankings accurately reflect the reliability, importance and relevance of each site.
Of course, web masters DO work to influence their rankings. This process is called Search Engine Optimization, or SEO. It can include altering the site's coding to make it easier for the crawlers to gather information, tagging posts, adding links and thinking carefully about what content they put up. If you want to make your site rank better on search engines, looking into SEO might help.
The biggest thing about your web host that has an effect on your search ranking is uptime: if your site is often down, crawlers are more likely to be unable to access it when they index sites, which will have a negative effect on your ranking. When you choose a host, look for one with high uptime. Each detailed web hosting review at NextAdvisor contains our own, independent information about host site reliability, including uptime and response time data. Check out our web hosting report card to see how all the hosts we've reviewed do in terms of uptime. Some of our favorite hosts with great uptime are HostGator, Yahoo! Small Business, Lunarpages and 1&1.
Have more questions about web hosting? Check out our FAQ, the web hosting report card and previous reader questions.
Yahoo! Web Hosting Discount: Get 50% Off
Posted by Mary
Have you been thinking about switching your web hosting service or building a new site? Now's the time! For the month of March, one of our favorite web hosts for beginners, Yahoo! Small Business, is offering 50% off the first three months for all of its web hosting plans. This great deal makes the basic package just $1.75/month for the first three months of the five year plan or $2.50/month for the first three months of the one year plan.
Users who need more advanced hosting services benefit as well, since the Advanced package will be offered at $3.00/month for the first three months for a five year plan or $4.00/month for the first three months for a one year plan, while Premier users will be charged just $4.50/month for the first three months for a five year plan or $6.00/month for the first three months for a one year plan.
For more information about web hosting, or to compare plans, check out our full web hosting section, read the FAQs, or take a look at our detailed comparison chart.
Network Solutions Offering Deep Discounts on Web Hosting
Posted by Mary
An already deeply discounted service for NextAdvisor visitors, Network Solutions is improving their existing 55% discount for NextAdvisor visitors by adding an additional 25% discount applied at checkout for new orders over $75. Customers need only apply the coupon code SAVE2575AF to bring their price down from $3.99 per month with our exclusive discount to $2.99 per month.
This is a phenomenal deal on web hosting services, so if you're in the market for a new host or are thinking about launching a site for the first time, consider Network Solutions! Click here to read our whole detailed review and find out how to take advantage of this great offer.
Fat Cow, iPage Offering Big Web Hosting Discounts
Posted by Mary
Right now, both iPage and Fat Cow, two web hosting companies we've reviewed positively, are having big sales on their basic web hosting packages. If you've been thinking about changing web hosts or building a new site, now's the time!
Four-star rated iPage is offering a 63% discount, bringing their service down to $2.95 per month for the first term, while five-star service Fat Cow has gone even bigger with their 65% discount, which makes their hosting package only $3.15 per month for the first term.
Check out our detailed reviews of iPage and Fat Cow, or take a look at our complete web hosting comparison chart to help you make a hosting decision.
Yahoo Web Hosting Drops Its Prices, Great News for Beginners
Posted by Jeff
Yahoo's web hosting has always been a great service for beginners, except for the price. Now Yahoo has made it even easier for beginners of web hosting to access their suite of services by dropping the prices for all their web hosting options.
The cheapest plan is the Basic plan, for $4.99/month, but NextAdvisor readers get an extra 25% off for three months, bringing the price down to $3.74. The Basic service comes with 100GB of storage space and 1000GB of data transfer allowance a month. Or you could upgrade to the more popular Advanced plan, which is $5.99 for the first three months and then $7.99/month after that. The Advanced plan offers 500GB of storage space and 5000GB of data transfer allowance a month. If you think you are going to need more storage/transfer space, you can get the Premier plan, which is unlimited, for $8.99 for the first three months and then $11.99/month after that.
All of the plans offer Yahoo's user-friendly interface and intuitive site builder, along with many other features that every beginner will need. To read our full review of Yahoo Web Hosting and to take advantage of the new pricing, click here.
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